Getting the much wanted interview

Hey guys, this is a question/rant
I've been reading the forums for a while and often notice the following:

Person gets an interview at a firm. Person doesn't even know the basics of the job he is applying for.

While others, on the other had (Me), have a deep passion for jobs they are applying to. I have applied to about 20 firms in the montreal area and abroad, for an internship in trading. I've been trading/investing for 2 years now (with good results) and started reading up on the topic 3 years ago.
I'm engineering student at a top Canadian University, so i am basically self-taught in anytihng that is finance-related. I know that I have MUCH to learn, and the beauty of trading is that you never cease to learn..

0 Interviews.

What can I do to at least land a summer job in something related?
If it didn't look dumb to write on my cover letter that i would even be a friggin janitor for the firm if it allowed me to be on the trading floor during market hours, I would have done it.

Thanks for your thoughts and help guys.

Cheers,
pitbul

 
Best Response
rothyman:
For starters, post your resume & cover letter.

Then explain to us exactly what you have been doing to try to get interviews. Also, who have you been trying to get interviews with?

Cover letter: http://www.razume.com/documents/19295 CV: http://www.razume.com/documents/19290

I've been speaking to people I know who work in finance, and speaking to people on linkedin.

I applied to a bunch of places: RBC, Laurentian Bank, National bank of Canada, Scotia Bank, Cannacord, Raymond James, Mackie, Jitney Trade, MAG, Lazard, D.E. Shaw, a couple funds, Swiss Capital Group, Jane Street, and a few others.

I'm surprised (and happy) that one of my friends got a job at BlackRock for the summer.. We basically have the same background, except that she is one year older than I.

 
leveRAGE.:
how heavily have you been networking?

I've been speaking to a couple brokers and traders at different institutions. Met them on linkdin and a through other people. One trader told me we should go for a beer and talk, but my subsequent emails weren't answered. That's life.

I show sincere interest in what they do, while at the same time trying to not seem desperate.

Will join my University's investment club next year.. but it doesn't seem very active. I'm the only one posting on their facebook page haha..

 
derivstrading:
i know how you feel, I was applying from a non target and what I felt seperated me was my passion. However, its hard to have passion come across in the pre interview stages. Best thing to do is to keep networking and catch a break.

Also post your CV and cover letter so we can have a look.

Glad to know I'm not alone! Hey, we're still young.. Lot's of time on our hands. I'll keep trading my own account for the summer and will stop at nothing to get a sick internship next year. :)

I'm not mad, just slightly disappointed. Posted a link to my resume a few minutes ago. Don't laugh at it hahaha!

Cheers, Pit

 

I've never personally been a huge fan of the objective/weird sentences to start resumes. I also, i think you need to add more to each of your bullet points. banking is an extremely quantitative discipline, so you should really try to quantify any and all of your accomplishments. right now it really seems as though you didnt do very much, as you summarized each of your jobs in less than a sentence. youve been an "independent worker" for 8 years, and all of your accomplishments can be summarized in 1 sentence?

 
leveRAGE.:
I've never personally been a huge fan of the objective/weird sentences to start resumes. I also, i think you need to add more to each of your bullet points. banking is an extremely quantitative discipline, so you should really try to quantify any and all of your accomplishments. right now it really seems as though you didnt do very much, as you summarized each of your jobs in less than a sentence. youve been an "independent worker" for 8 years, and all of your accomplishments can be summarized in 1 sentence?

Thanks for your help leveRAGE. I had a ''Communications in Engineering'' course and this is exactly how our prof wanted it. It's nice to have advice from other people.

What you're telling me about quantifying my accomplishments makes lots of sense, but how do you quantify engineering jobs? Saying that I machined 150 parts per day is irrelevant since each different aircraft part takes a different amount of time to machine, depending on the complexity and other external factors.

I can say I grew my business from 1 client to 12 in a couple of years, but this is extremely small since I normally have a 40hr/week summer job, and I mow lawns on the weekends. Add to that other work that my clients ask me to do. (cleaning the pool, weeding, painting, etc.)

How do I quantify being a clerk at a supermarket? You know what I mean? It looks funny..

What are your thoughts?

 
GutShot:
I glanced at it and didn't see a thing relevant to finance
Other than trading my own account, Reading a ton of books, and playing the Ace Manager game from BNP Paribas, no there is nothing related to finance in my CV. I'm studying engineering and trying to break into finance. That's why.
 

If your running out of places to apply to you can sometimes find an internship and or interview spot on craigslist. I know it sounds weird and I have no idea what the jobs are like but you would be surprised at how many listings that are actually there. BTW may I suggest at least mentioning that you have at least attempted something that has to do with the financial field (researched topic/ trade your own account) on your CV. I mean I don't see anything on their at all that you have done anything even remotely related to he jobs you are applying to. By saying that you have researched and attempted to trade at least you are showing that you are willing to learn.

 
ctw930:
If your running out of places to apply to you can sometimes find an internship and or interview spot on craigslist. I know it sounds weird and I have no idea what the jobs are like but you would be surprised at how many listings that are actually there. BTW may I suggest at least mentioning that you have at least attempted something that has to do with the financial field (researched topic/ trade your own account) on your CV. I mean I don't see anything on their at all that you have done anything even remotely related to he jobs you are applying to. By saying that you have researched and attempted to trade at least you are showing that you are willing to learn.

Thanks ctw930, I do mention it at the bottom in the ADDITIONAL INFORMATION section. Where else do you suggest I put this information?

 

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